Southview Quick Facts!

Year Established: 1973

School Mascot: Cougar

Partner Districts Served: 9

Current Enrollment: 137 & growing!

Ages served: 5-21

Click the Cougar for a virtual building tour!

Recognizing Respect & Responsibility!

Students and staff rallied together to recognize and congratulate students who went above and beyond first quarter showing respect and responsibility around Southview! The Southview Cougar made his first appearance of the year! A special thanks to Jacob Best for making for his help making this happen!

It was a spooky good time at Southview! Superheroes, Skeletons, Grim Reapers, and even a Victorian peasant were on parade around the Southview gym on Halloween morning. Lydia Black, who dressed like Cruella Deville, said the costumes are her favorite part of the Halloween activities at school. Group costumes were popular with the social workers and counselor dressing up as Hocus Pocus and Anna's Stiffler's class was the new Spice Girls, with Pumpkin, Cayenne, Saffron, Ginger, Cinnamon Sugar, Caribbean Roasted Garlic, and Sage as the group singers. A group of Playdoh also made an appearance. Aydin Klassen said that the candy is always the best part of Halloween. Elementary students made the trick or treating rounds with jokes! Dominic Hager's very clever joke went, "How do you fix a broken Jack O Lantern?" Answer: With a pumpkin patch! In the afternoon students did the monster mash at the Halloween Dance emceed by Southview's music teacher Greg Heaney.

Want to see your student in the next newsletter? Make sure you have a media release on file!

Cooking up fun in FACS! High School students, Johnathan Mason, Evan Dunn, Jacob Best, Dominick Brickey, and Jeff Laurent have whipped up several culinary treats this month in Leah Puckett's Family & Consumer Science class. Jeff said that cooking is the best thing about FACS class. So far this year they have made rice Krispy treats, veggie-rich salsa, spaghetti & meatballs, and a hamburger bacon cheeseburger pasta skillet. The class claims Johnathan is the best cook of the group. Although Evan stuck with cooking the bacon the longest! Lucky for Southview Staff the boys are willing to share their creations!

Red Ribbon Week, Bullying Prevention, & Unity!

October was a busy time for social-emotional learning! Students engaged in lessons which promoted kindness, unity, and understanding our role in bullying prevention. Social Worker, Becky Shultz, encouraged her classroom groups to participate in a Kindness Paper Chain Challenge. Classrooms created paper chains from the kind actions they did throughout the month and decorated their classrooms. In addition to a spirit week during Red Ribbon Week several classrooms participated in a door decorating competition. Classrooms came up with different Drug Abuse Prevention themes such as "We Pika-Choose To Be Drug Free" & "Drug Busters-We're Not Afraid To Say No." Other activities included surprise guest readers, like senior Jeff Laurent who read 10 Spooky pumpkins to multiple classrooms, and team building escape rooms.

Looking For A Holiday Resource:

Are you looking for gift help this holiday season? Santa's Helpers is a local St. Louis agency that helps provide families with gifts during the holidays. Santa’s Helpers serves more than 3,500 children & over 1000 families every holiday season. Families are referred by school social workers, Parents as Teachers, Nurses for Newborns or Big Brothers-Big Sisters. If you would like to be referred please contact your students' school social worker.

Sara Schmitt (sschmitt@ssdmo.org)

Becky Schultz (raschultz@ssdmo.org)

Katie Lange (klange@ssdmo.org)

The nurses are still on a reduce your sugar kick! Make a pledge with your kiddos to make November “NO soda November”. You can use the following calendar to keep track of your soda free days. Consider rewarding your child at the end of the month with a special outing or other non-food treat. Click the calendar picture below to see the American Heart Association's sugar page.

Speaking of non-food treats, make your reward a fun family activity! The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends making fitness a part of your family’s everyday routine. They say that kids should get at least an hour of good exercise every day. You know who else exercise is good for? YOU! Here are some tips from AHA to make it easier:

• Enjoy the great outdoors! Schedule a time each day for an outdoor activity with your children. Hike a local nature trail or ride a bicycle path.
  
• Schedule family playtime. Take a walk or play a family game of tag after dinner each night. Choose activities that require movement, such as bowling, catch or miniature golf.
  
• Choose toys wisely. Give children toys that encourage physical activity, such as balls, kites, skateboards and jump ropes.
  
• Limit screen time. Experts warn that one to two hours of screen time a day should be the limit for children, but some are logging more than double that amount. Set boundaries, keep the television and electronic media out of your child's bedroom and limit computer usage to school projects.
  
• Plant a garden. Caring for plants gives your children a reason to get outside each day. Learning how to grow a garden teaches the food system, while sampling the harvest encourages healthy eating habits.
  
• Chip in with chores. Rake leaves, shovel snow and do other home-maintenance projects as a family. In the end, your home will be better off and so will your family’s health.

Are you looking for help navigating community resources for your student? The Productive Living Board has a list of Family Navigators who are there to help you find resources, advocacy, and supports for your students. Click the picture below for a link to their website.

November is about more than just turkey! Check out these celebrations!

• November 1st is National Author Day
• November 5th is National Donut Day
• November 13th is National Kindness Day
• November 17th is National Students' Day
• November 21st is National Stuffing Day
• November 30th is National Personal Space Day

Visit November's Virtual Library features by clicking on the picture!

High school seniors who receive at least one SSD service or attend an SSD technical school should take a look at these scholarship opportunities if they plan to enroll in a college, university or postsecondary program! Applications for The James E. Westbury/SSD Board of Education Scholarship, The Allison M. Haake Memorial Scholarship, and The Bonhomme Lions Club Scholarship are due Dec. 13, 2023. Additionally, the Special Education Foundation (SEF) sponsors the John Cary Scholarship. All scholarships require a letter of recommendation - don’t wait to begin! Visit ssdmo.org/scholarships for more information.

Applications for several awards which honor the contributions of SSD staff and community members are awaiting nominations, which are due Jan. 5, 2024. These awards are collectively known as Salutes awards because they are given at the District’s annual Salutes event in the spring. They include the following:

• Key to the Classroom Awards (for classroom teachers)
• Building Block Awards (for paraprofessionals)
• Lasting Impression Awards (for support/operations staff)
• Special Ambassador Awards (for community members or organizations)
• Distinguished Leader Awards (for administrators in SSD and partner districts)

Please refer to the Salutes webpage for details about each award. Some awards permit nomination by SSD staff only, while others accept nominations from people who are not employed by SSD. Please nominate someone you know who works for SSD and help us provide the recognition they deserve for their meaningful work in SSD!

The SSD Board of Education strives for transparency, accountability, and accessibility. We welcome family, staff, and community members to share comments, concerns, and ideas with SSD Board of Education members. To find the Board member representing your subdistrict, visit the Board of Education page on the SSD website.